Unlocking God’s Sacred Name

Sacred Knowledge Hidden Within the Name Of God
An Essay by Adam Hendrickson
Jan 4th 2023

The Name of God
The God of Israel revealed his name to Moses at the burning bush. He said, “I AM THAT I AM.” Then he told Moses to tell Israel that ‘I AM’ has sent you. 1 The name Jehovah is often first traced to this event.2 One meaning of the name is ‘the eternal I AM’.3 In Latter Day scriptures, the name appears to also have been known prior to Moses. It was revealed to Abraham.4 There is good reason to assume that the name may have also been revealed to the Brother of Jared in the Jaredite language.5 In Hebrew, the name is composed of four Hebrew letters יהוה . Known as the Tetragrammaton, it is often mis-transliterated into English as the letters JHVH. This mis-transliteration is then often interpreted as the name Jehovah even though that is not the correct pronunciation. Many scholars believe that a more correct transliteration is closer to YHWH and pronounced as Yahweh.6 Out of reverence, Jews will often substitute the proper name of God for a title or simply refer to it as ‘The Name’.7 Interestingly, the name Jesus is also not the correct pronunciation of the Lord who was crucified. Regardless of the fact that the proper names, ‘Jehovah’ and ‘Jesus’ are not the original pronunciations, we can still revere these names for their meanings and for the Lord who they represent.

In the New Testament8 and in the Book of Mormon Jesus identified himself as the God of Abraham who is Jehovah.9 The interpretation and meaning of the name Jehovah includes the verb ‘to be’. It is often interpreted as ‘I AM’, signifying that he is self-existent. Due to peculiarities in Hebrew it can take on a past, present, or future tense. He was, is, and will ever be from all eternity to all eternity. He exists. The meaning of ‘AM’ can also be interpreted as “to cause to become.” Another version of this that should resonate with Book of Mormon readers is “to come to pass.”10

Jehovah created the earth and all life on the earth.11 All of humanity both male and female, were originally created in his image.12 He in turn is in the image of our Heavenly Parents. Jehovah who is a living God with life in himself descended to earth to be born of Mary in Bethlehem. As a man, he was known as Jesus. The proper name of ‘Jesus’ signifies that he is a healer, a rescuer, a deliverer, a preserver, a protector, and a savior.13 As the great verb ‘to be’, Jesus offers us a more divine way of be-ing.14 He showed us how to live a type of life that is full, complete, and radiant.15 He taught a love that is so pure that it extends the hand of friendship and words of prayer to those who persecute us.16 He offers a way of living that is truly joyous and alive. Through him, we can live more abundantly.17 Through him, we will live again after we die.18 Jesus truly is the living God of Israel who is eternally alive that ancient Israel knew as Jehovah.

Sacred Wordplay
A wide variety of poetry can be found throughout the scriptures. For example, Psalm 119 is divided into passages dedicated to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are also poems that move forward and then backward to come full circle such as Jesus’ statement that, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” which is an example of a chiasmus wordplay.19 Numerous forms of poetry, literary Hebraisms, and chiasmus passages have been discovered throughout the Book of Mormon.20 Names are often used in the scriptures to add or reinforce meaning.21 Jesus also created wordplays by giving some of his apostles new names. Jesus gave Simon the name ‘Peter’ which is a wordplay on the rock of revelation.22 Jesus also gave James and John the somewhat playful name, ‘Sons of Thunder’.23 For Latter-day Saints, numerous name wordplays have been documented throughout the Book of Mormon.24

HE-SHE
As I was researching what scholars could tell me about the sacred name Jehovah, I came across the remarkable work of Rabbi Mark Sameth. In his book, “The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God”,25 Rabbi Sameth explained that the sacred name Jehovah has within it a secret way of being read. When the name is read aloud backwards in Hebrew, the sacred name phonetically becomes the dual pronouns HE-SHE. This appears to be an intentional type of cryptographic wordplay. Rabbi Sameth also explained in his book that the concept of a dual gendered God was held among ancient Israelites. This secret backwards reading of God’s name ‘Jehovah’, as ‘HE-SHE’ appears to have been passed down through generations of Jewish scholars. He has provided ample research and evidence to support his findings. His work appears to be an important contribution for all faiths that revere the Hebrew name of God.

Rabbi Sameth also recounted many other cryptographic wordplays in the Hebrew Bible. For example, when the name Moses is spoken in reverse it becomes ‘The Name’. ‘The Name’ is a Jewish substitution like ‘Lord’ that is used instead of ‘Jehovah’. Jews will say ‘The Name’ rather than say aloud the proper name of God. This word play is significant since it was Moses who received the revealed name of God at the burning bush. When combined with Latter Day scriptures we can gain additional insights. The name Moses in Egyptian means ‘the son of’ and lacks the designation of a parent.26 Who is Moses the son of? Interestingly in Latter Day scripture, God tells Moses at least four times that Moses is his son.27 God also tells Moses that he was created in the image of Jehovah.28 When the name of Moses is spoken forwards and then spoken backwards to create a phonetic chiasmus, we see an additional secret wordplay. The meaning of Moses’ name becomes, ‘the son of the name.’ This is significant since Moses is a son of God and also a son of Jehovah in whose image Moses was made.

I AM HE-SHE
Enabled with this insight into the dual nature of the name Jehovah, Christians can build upon Rabbi Sameth’s work. While Rabbi Sameth’s book largely focused on revealing the name, I have pondered its meaning in the light of Christian doctrines and Latter-day revelations. Jesus is that same Jehovah of ancient Israel. When interpreting the chiasmus forms of his name, first spoken forward and then spoken backwards, he is the great ‘I AM HE-SHE’, or the great ‘I WILL CAUSE TO BECOME HE-SHE’, as well as the ‘ETERNAL HE-SHE.’ What could the secret name HE-SHE mean? Who is HE? Who is SHE? Why are they combined into one singular name in Jehovah? As with many parables, poems, and Hebraic wordplays, there seem to be many layers of meaning.

Who is Jehovah? Who is the great ‘I AM HE-SHE’? He is the child of Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. He has within his divine spiritual genetics the unified expression of their love. His spiritual DNA is composed of the elements of both the Eternal Father and the Eternal Mother fused together.29 His nature encompasses all divine attributes and everything that is good.30 He fully represents them and is in the image of both Father and Mother. To know Jesus is to know Them. His name I AM HE-SHE is also interpreted as, I AM A CHILD OF HEAVENLY PARENTS, or I AM A CHILD OF GOD.

I AM HUMANITY
In the beginning Jehovah created the world. He divided the first human into male and female. He created Adam and Eve who are the first earthly ‘He’ and the first earthly ‘She’ of humanity. Through the covenant of marriage the two were reunited as one. Through their children, the two are recombined into one flesh.31 Through the archetypes of Adam and Eve, Jehovah’s name HE-SHE also represents an eternal marriage covenant. It represents a family relationship. Jehovah is our earthly creator and our parent. Adam, Eve, and all of humanity were created in his image.32 Jesus is a parent of humanity and of the eternal family covenant. He is both a father and a mother to us.33 Adam and Eve are archetypes of Him. He is a representation of humanity. Jesus took upon himself the name of humanity as he stood in our place to suffer for the sins of the entire world. All will rise in the resurrection through his power. We will take upon ourselves his image again only this time it will be the image of his resurrected body. As a parent of humanity, everyone will inherit the divine genetics of his immortality. His work as the Prince of Peace is to unite all of humanity in bonds of familial love under his outstretched arms. He is the first divine human being to rise in the resurrection. As our parent, we will be born again after his image in the resurrection. His name I AM HE-SHE is also interpreted as, I AM HUMANITY.

Hear O Israel
The Sh’ma is a call to Israel. It is a prayer spoken by Jews each morning and evening. It is the last words that devout Jews will say before death. Originally the Sh’ma consisted of a single verse found in Deuteronomy 6:4 which states, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:” Over time additional verses were added, but this single verse in the Hebrew Bible is often set apart from the rest. The last letter of the first and last words are often capitalized in Hebrew.

When Jesus was asked to name the greatest of all the commandments, he first responded with the Sh’ma. In Mark 12:29, it states, “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:” There is a tendency to get to the point and jump to the part of the text where Jesus says that we should love God and love our neighbor. However let us pause for a moment to soak in the Sh’ma and consider it as essential to Jesus’ response. When translated literally without the word substitution it reads, “Hear O Israel, Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one.” Now let us incorporate a chiasmus wordplay of the backwards reading of the name ‘Jehovah’ into the text. Jesus’ response now becomes: Hear O Israel, Jehovah is our God, He-She [or humanity] is one. Using this wordplay, the Sh’ma holds within it the greatest commandments to love God and to love our neighbor as ourself. Jesus’ responded that the Sh’ma is the greatest commandment. His follow on commentary can then be seen as expounding upon the Sh’ma to explain its meaning. Jesus explained that the Sh’ma is a call to love Jehovah and to love all of humanity whom he died for. It is a call to make humanity one in Jesus. It is a call for Israel to be mini-Christs or children of Christ. As Christians we follow Jesus example to bless and lift up humanity in love.

The Sh’ma points to Jesus’ divine work and glory to bless all of humanity with immortality and eternal life in divine oneness. We are meant to be one with Jesus. Jesus prayed that we might be one with him as he is one with the Father.34 As we each become one with Jesus and his Heavenly Parents, we become one with each other. Jesus’ mission includes atoning and dying for the world in order to connect all of us together through his divine love. This last part of his mission and his at-one-ment is ongoing. His atonement on the cross was the last and great sacrifice, but it was not the end of the at-one-ing. His work to unite us in one won’t be complete until we have all been resurrected and reconciled (judged) through his loving mercy and justice. His chiasmus name Jehovah-Jehovah, or I AM HUMANITY is an abbreviation of the Sh’ma which is the great commandment of unifying love.


What is the meaning of his name?
Who is Jehovah? Who is the great I AM HE-SHE? Among the many layers of meaning include connections to our Heavenly Parents, the unification of the divine masculine and the divine feminine, his identity as a child of God, his role as the first fully divine and resurrected human, his connection to Adam and Eve our first parents, his divine work and glory as the Messiah and parent of humanity, and his atoning sacrifice where he suffered in the name and in the place of humanity. The chiasmus form of his name is the abbreviated Sh’ma which is the Great Commandments of unifying love. His name is the key to understanding the Sh’ma which is a call to Israel to participate in his divine work, glory, and mission to unite the entire human family into one in him. Jehovah is the great I AM who is divine, eternally existent, and fully alive. As his children, he offers us a better way of be-ing with continual rebirth and a future resurrection. He has fully realized his divine inheritance as a child of God who is full of love and all that is good and divine.35 Core aspects of our identity, destiny, our connection to God, and our connection to each other are unlocked by internalizing his name and taking his name upon us. The Sh’ma prayer is a call for Israel to take his name upon ourselves as his children to fulfill the meaning of his name through the great commandment of love and oneness.

When Jesus returns with all of the saints, the prophecy of his name in the Sh’ma will be realized. Zechariah chapter 14 describes his second coming when there will be peace on earth and wickedness is destroyed. In verse 9 it states, “And Jehovah hath become king over all the land, In that day there is one Jehovah, and His name one.”36 People of different faiths will know him at that day. Jews, Muslims, Christians, and others will recognize him as the God of the whole earth.37 Everyone will know that Jehovah the God of Israel is that same Jesus who was crucified.38 The world will know his name, see his works among all peoples, see eye to eye with each other, and religious contention will be reconciled. There will be peace on earth. The different names by which he is known to all people of humble faith will be integrated into one. They will come into alignment with him and each other. The Sh’ma is a prophecy of Jesus as the Messiah who will bring peace to earth. Hear O Israel, Jehovah is our God, Jehovah is one!


Notes and References

  1. Exodus 3:14
  2. Exodus 6:3, While many trace the name to this event, Latter-Day scripture appears to indicate that the sacred name was known by prophets before Moses. See John 8:58, Abraham 1:16, 2:8
  3. Jehovah, Bible Dictionary, 2013 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
  4. John 8:58, Abraham 1:16, 2:8
  5. Ether 3:14. Note the phrase I am he which is similar to John 4:26 where Jesus said I am [he] where the
    word ‘he’ is an addition to the original text for grammatical reasons. The ‘he’ is notable since the grammar
    would typically be him and may indicate a connection to he-she, note the revelation of God revealing his
    other name Jesus Christ, note the connection to Father-Son, note the inclusion of all of humanity, note the
    concept of eternal life which is a way of be-ing.
  6. The Jewish Encyclopedia, https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8568-jehovah
  7. Sameth, Mark (2020). The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God, Introduction, Wipf and Stock Publishers
  8. John 8:58. Note that Jesus connected his name Jehovah to Abraham. This appears to support Latter-Day scripture that Abraham knew the name Jehovah, had a personal relationship with Jehovah, and had seen a vision of Jesus’ future ministry on earth
  9. 3 Nephi 15:5
  10. Sameth, Mark (2020). The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God, Introduction, Wipf and Stock Publishers.
    Tom Irvine who has produced an unofficial draft translation of the Book of Mormon into Hebrew has also informed me that the reason that the Book of Mormon has so many phrases like “It came to pass” or “Behold” is because these phrases serve as punctuation. He also relayed to me that ancient languages tended to lack the punctuation common in modern languages. He has observed that ‘Behold’ is the most common commandment in the Book of Mormon. His draft Hebrew translation of the Book of Mormon can be downloaded from his Book of Mormon page here: https://hebrewbookofmormon.wordpress.com/
  11. John 1:1-5, Jacob 4:9
  12. Ether 3:14-16, Moses 1:13, 2:27
  13. https://biblehub.com/strongs/matthew/1-21.htm
  14. Matthew 5:44
  15. John 4:14, John 6:35
  16. Matthew 5:9,43-48, 3 Nephi 12:9,43-48
  17. John 10:10
  18. John 11:25
  19. Matthew 19:30
  20. John W. Welch, A Study Relating Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon, master’s thesis. Provo, BYU, 1970.
  21. Helaman 5:1-7, Genesis 17, Genesis 32:24-30, Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:26-37
  22. Matthew 16:17-18
  23. Luke 9:53-56
  24. Book of Mormon Onomasticon, The Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies
    https://onoma.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page
  25. Sameth, Mark (2020). The Name: A History of the Dual-Gendered Hebrew Name for God, Wipf and Stock Publishers
  26. https://www.behindthename.com/name/moses, accessed Oct 23 2022. Also note that the name Moses appears to have another meaning which is ‘to draw out.’ This is based on a verse in Exodus where Moses was drawn from the water. Names can have more than one meaning for different communities. See Exodus 2:10
  27. Moses 1:4,6,7,40
  28. Moses 1:6
  29. His spiritual genome contains within it both the masculine and feminine divine.
  30. Moroni 7:11-16
  31. Genesis 2:24
  32. Ether 3:14-16, Moses 1:13, 2:27
  33. Numerous scriptures liken Jehovah to a father or mother. There are too many to list here. Some
    examples include: Mosiah 14:10-11, Mosiah 15:8-13, Alma 11:38-40, 3 Nephi 10:4-6, Deuteronomy 32:6,13,18
  34. John 17:20-26, 3 Nephi 19:19-23, 4 Nephi 1:15-17
  35. In Alma 11:39, Amulek explains that Jehovah is the Eternal Father of heaven and earth. In Alma 13:9, Alma states describes Jehovah as being eternal, the son of God, and full of grace, equity, and truth
  36. Young’s literal translation, https://biblehub.com/zechariah/14-9.htm
  37. Isaiah 54:5
  38. Book of Mormon, 3 Nephi 20:31-39